By Nathan Tilbury – Deputy mayor, Hornsby Shire Council
The Galston village centre will undergo significant enhancements to transform the area into a vibrant space whilst retaining its unique rural ambience.
At Council’s most recent General Meeting I was pleased to lead the Galston Village Public Domain Plan item and have it unanimously endorsed. The next stage is to undertake detailed designs that will be guided by community feedback.
Tourism is increasing in the Shire’s Rural and semi-Rural areas and as part of the Galston Public Domain plans, walking and cycling networks will be enhanced, as well as improvements to the currently disjointed parking facilities in the area.
Other features included landscaping improvements with additional street tree planting, outdoor seating and informal gathering spaces to provide convenient amenities for locals and visitors to enjoy.
By far the most mentioned issue that was raised during the consultation period was the lack of conveniently located public toilets in the Galston village area. Whilst not part of the original plans, I negotiated an amendment for Council to work on options and solutions for access to public toilets prior to the public domain works commencing.
The community should not have to wait for this basic issue to be resolved and I appreciated the support of my fellow councillors to have Galston village public toilets accessibility prioritized.
Throughout the process council will work closely with commercial landowners and operators as well as Transport for NSW.
These improvements to the Galston village will support the local economy and encourage visitation to the rural area. Construction is scheduled to commenced in the first half of 2025.
